According to insiders, the funeral service for reggae singer Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley, the first child of Stephen Marley and the grandson of the legendary Bob Marley, will be held on Tuesday, January 17, at The Bob Marley Museum on Hope Road in St. Andrew.
The source informed the Jamaica Observer that “the interment will be in Nine Miles, St Ann.”
Bob Marley, the great-grandfather of Jo Mersa, was buried in a mausoleum in Nine Miles. It is unknown if the little Marley will be interred near to his well-known grandfather.
In Coral Gables, South Florida, at the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens on Old Cutler Road, a private all-white vigil was held on Tuesday in Jo Mersa’s honor. Several members of the Marley family and close friends were in attendance for the event.
American singer Lauryn Hill, Shaggy, Tarrus Riley, Etana, and members of the Inner Circle band were spotted at the 3:00 pm function.
On December 27, Jo Mersa passed away in Miami-Dade County after what was likely an asthma attack. He was 31.
According to reports, Florida’s Pinecrest Police Department officers discovered Marley asleep inside his car in the parking area of a mall. He was later pronounced dead by the responding paramedics. No foul play was suspected.
Jo Mersa was well-known for songs including Burn it Down, Made It, and No Way Out. Her mother is Kerry-Ann Smith, the younger sister of former Dancehall Queen Carlene Smith.
Jo Mersa is survived by his wife Qiara, his daughter Sunshine, age 6, and 12 siblings.
Bob Marley, the king of reggae, passed away from cancer on May 11, 1981. He was 36.
